Associate Research & Project Development Manager at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Responsibilities 
The Associate Research & Project Development Manager’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

•  New project development (60%): The Associate Research & Project Development Manager (ARPDM) will lead new project development in the Ghana office. In particular, as part of the project development component of the position, the Associate Research & Project Development Manager will:
• In collaboration with the Country Directors, Research Managers and the Global Business Development team, develop and continuously review and adapt as needed, a project development and stakeholder engagement strategy for the various sectors;
• Recruit and manage a team of 2-4 interns;
• Lead and initiate a portfolio of project development efforts with researchers, funders, and partner organizations;
• Identify priority research questions and key concerns for policymakers in the various sectors, and initiate and manage the development of corresponding new research proposals;
• Propose cost structures and budgets for potential funding opportunities and proposals;
• Ensure that institutional arrangements are taken care of to submit proposals applications – in line with the donors’ deadlines and requirements – and collaborate with the Grants team and the Business Development team to submit research proposals and set up new grant awards;
• Develop new and manage existing relationships with IPA partner organizations and principal investigators to enhance the relevance and influence of IPA’s research, support targeted dissemination of research findings, encourage scale-up of successful projects;
• Represent IPA at local (and potentially regional and global) forums focused on priority sectors, identified in collaboration with the Country Directors and Policy team, including workgroups, tasks forces, advisory committees, conferences, etc.;
• In coordination with the Global Business Development team, develop resources for project development and ensure all internal project development files, folders and tracking systems are up to date.

Research Management in (40%): The Associate Research & Project Development Manager will be responsible for the overall management of research projects. In particular, as                 part of the research component of the position, the ARPDM will:

• Work with Principal Investigators to ensure their adherence to research design, sample selection, data collection, data management and general research protocols, as well as overall project objectives timelines;
• Directly supervise 1 or 2 permanent research project staff, with an eye on their professional growth;
• Keep the Country Director appraised of all developments on the project within their portfolio, and serve as a key link between the field office, project staff, and Principal Investigators;
• Ensure compliance with IPA’s research quality protocols, promote inter-project best practices and take the lead in sharing best practices with projects through formal and informal trainings;
• Work with field office staff to ensure sound human resource and operational management of projects;
• Oversee project financial management, including creation and monitoring of project budgets, and ensuring smooth integration of projects into IPA financial systems;
• Take part in regular meetings with local government officials and other partners to ensure the success of programmatic activities; and
• Support the dissemination of interim results via presentations and reports to non-academic audiences.

Qualifications 

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in economics, political science, international development, public policy, or other related field;
• At least 3 years of work experience in a similar position;
• Excellent project management skills;
• Previous experience in managing research projects and sound understanding of research methods, including quantitative data management;
• Experience in developing research projects, experience with budgeting and project planning;
• Previous experience working on fundraising with public and private donors;
• Demonstrated experience in research and policy engagement;
• Passion for connecting rigorous impact evaluation research to policy makers and practitioners and communicating what works in development;
• Experience in grants and contracts management, preferably in a research setting;
• Excellent management and organizational skills and ability to work independently;
• Experience working in sub-Saharan Africa preferred;
• Advanced communication and presentation skills in English.